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About The Nebraska independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1896-1902 | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1896)
1 ft The Wealth Makers and Lincoln Independent Consolidated. LINCOLN, NEBR., THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1896. NO. 42. VOL. VII. she BOW WASHINGTON The old Party Silver Senators Feel Awful Weary. ABE TOO TIRED TO EVEN TALK. John Sherman Likely to be the Re publican Candidate. v Interview With Allen and Peffer. The People's Party News Bureau. ) Bliss Building, 35 B, N. W. J Washington. March 17. It becomes more apparent evary day that the na tional contest this year will be between . i i J . . . ! i' ,i Tioitfir nri h the repuDucau u,uuivt"oo ptuvj, ....... financial reform as the dominant issue. Every populist leader here sees exactly that situation as the result of the two old conventions. As yet there is no or ganized silver movement outside the peo ple's party. It is not believed here that the meeting of the bimetallic forces in St. Louis, July 22d, will result in the or ganization of a distinct, independent silver party. Should both the old party conven tion's break up in a row over the finan cial question, which is not anticipated, the organization of . an independent silver movement might follow. Other wise the silver sentiment of the country must sustain the people's party candi date for the presidency and co-operate with that party in legislative and con gressional elections. What will happen at St. Louis in June, and at Chicago in July, nobody can guess. Party harmony seems impossible. There appears no rift in the clouds any where. If silver democrats and silver republicans are not all liars and cow ards they will walk out of the Chicago convention in the event of a gold stand i ard nomination and walk into the peo V pie's party. Will they do it? Demo J crats with Tillman's courage and con vvictions will do it. "South Carolina," he said to a Bureau representative, "will never submit to the nomination of a gold standard candidate for president. Her delegates will go to Chicago openly and unconditionally instructed to leave the convention in that event " No other southern leader has had the courage to make the same declaration. It is frankly confessed by . nearly all of them that Tillman's ultimatum applies to every southern state, but the poli ticians will try to fool the people once more. A prominent southern democrat, speculating as to the effect of a gold standard nomination at Chicago said: ' "So far as the south is concerned I look for no general stampede from the democratic party on that account, but I do expect that the stay at home vote will cost the party both its electoral and state ticket in nearly every southern state, and there is mighty good pros ipect that a big slice of the south's 160 electoral votes will go to the people's ' party candidate and elect the next pres ident on the issue of a change in our monetary system. It seems now an ab solute impossibility to influence the masses of southern democrats against their convictions on the money question, whatever position the leaders may take. They may not abandon the organiza tion and openly avow adherence to the people's party, but they will resent false lAni1niliin niimiutl naitir HiinifiTfl i 7 n firm by indifference and secure defeat at the polls by refusal to vote." Almost every southern democrat one meets here admits this. Of course this observation does not apply to the "ma chine" managers and followers who ma hipulate local conventions, nor to an in ""fluential class of city and town demo crats who are subservient to bank and corporation influence. It is the plain people who will not longer submit to "boss" dictation that threaten two old parties with disruption. The people's party is the logical beneficiary of this party distrust and resentment, and if the opportunity is rightly used the election of the people's party candidate for the presidency must be the inevitable result. No silver republican leader has ex pressed the courage of Tillman's con victions, or even suggested his ultima- i. At ill J JJI. last week has given western silver re publicans some hope that the national conventian will go to the extreme limit short of a positive free-coinage declra tion. Will that satfsfy the westeru silver republicans? Senator Teller declines to say what he thinks about it, or what he will do until the convention meets, but leaves no room to doubt that a straddle is more uuiioxioub iuuu oliuikui guiu standard declaration. The question has been asked him several times recently, what he would do in the almost certain event of a gold-standard nomination at St. Louis. He has emphatically de clared that he would not support it, but be has not said that he would leave the republican party on that account. If the alternative is presented he will re tire, he says, from public life. This is not accepted in Washington, among his compeers, as a serious declaration. At any rate he will not talk about the Ohio deliverance nor discuss the St. Louis combination. Another clam since the cy clonic sweep of the McKinley movement in Dubois, of Idaho. Not many days ago he declared that sooner than support a gold-standard candidate he would vote for Morgan, of Alabama. It was Dubois who asserted on the floor of the senate some time ago that the people's party platform is not an honest free-silver dec laration. But Dubois is in a tight place. He sees in McKinley's "protection and bimetallism" dodge the hope of extrica tion and another term in the senate. He will not talk any more until after the St. Louis convention, and after that he may be found in the McKinley band-wagon. "The new Ohio plank" said Senator Allen, "is a repetition of the Minneapolis straddle, which meant the gold-standard in the east and free coinage in the west in the last presidential campaign. It is an affront to the intelligence of the people and they will be sure to resent it this year. They have linked 'protection and bimetallism' this time, but when the opportunity was offered by the populist senators to pass tne Keea tarin Dili witn a free-silver amendment all but five re publican senators repudidated the Mc kinley idea. Rpublican 'bimetallism' means the present gold-standard. That is the Sherman idea, and that sentiment will dominate the national republican convention. It will cost McKinley the nomination, although it now appears that be is far ahead' in the race. The convention may nominate John Sher man. To me it is quite obvious that the republican party will not make the pres idential fight this year on the traiff, and that disposes of the McKinley scoop on 'protection and bimetalism.'" "It is not worth while to discus the financial plank in the Ohio State plat form," said Senator Peffer, "for it will never will be heard of at at St. Louis. Republican leaders understand the mas ses of the party too well to attempt an other straddle on the silver question. They know that submission to further dodging and evasin of that question is a thing of the past. Are what amazes me is the effrontry and stupidity of the Kansas republican state convention in adopting a policy that every intelligent republican elsewhere renounces and repudiates. I know of no other instance in political movements where a conven tion abjectly defers its convictions on a great party question to a national con vention. So far as I know such, despic able political cowardice finds no preced ent outside the action of the late Kansas republican convention. It is to the peo ple's party advantage that it was done, but my state pride revolts at the. humi iating spectacle." The senator has. been quoted as saying that there is no chance for a people's party national victory un til 1900. What he means by that state ment is, the party is not strong enough to elect the President this year on its own account, but he does not concede the election of a gold-standard candi dates against the united anti-gold senti ment of the country. On the contrary, he says, "if the silver forceB can be united nothing is surer than the election of the silver candidate." He has had misgiv ings on this point, but in the light of current happenings they are rapidly dis appearing. "The strugle is between the people and the politicians, and from all appearances now it makes little differ ence what candidates the two old party conventions nominate the revolution will go on with resistlese force until it ends in the people's triumph." "If Boies were a populist," observed Master Workman Sovereign, "he would make an ideal presidental candidate and sweep every state west of the Mississippi. I know him well." Continued the vigor ous and intrepid labor leader, "and, by the way, I understand he is almost, if not entirely, converted to populism. If true, it will make a strong accession to the peoples party in the west and take Iowa out of the republican electoral col umn. If any change of party affiliation is in contemplation it will be made with out any view to political aspirations. Boies is not that kind of a man. Un bending integrity and rugged honesty has made him the idol of the masses in Iowa, and his name and indorsement will add immensely to the people's party strength in all the west." WANAMAKER FINED $1000- The Sanctified Republican a Criminal. In the United States District Court, before Judge Butler, ex-Postmaster-General John Wanamaker was recently con victed of violating a Federal law by im porting alien labor, and was fined $1,000. The Philadelphia newspapers ignored the case because they did not desire to hurt the feelings of such a heavy adver tiser. Past General Master Workman James A. Wright of the Knights of Labor, se cured a transcript of the records of the trials which he read to the rep resentatives of various trades-unions held Friday night at Ninth and Spring Garden streets. Resolutions denouncing Mr. Wanamaker were passed. The board of directors of the Knights of Labor yesterday officially declared a boycott aginst Mr. Wanamaker. The officers of the Pennsylvania Trades League were asked by local members of that organization to take similar action. No one has seen any account of this in the Nebraska dailies. If you want the news, take the Independent. What Irrigation Does. Mr. Wilcox author of the little work entitled Irrigation Farming says: 'Irrigation means better economic conditions; means small farms, orchards and vineyards; more homes and greater comforts; more intelligence and knowl edge applied to farming; more profit, more crops; more freight and more com merce. It means association in urban life instead of isolated farms; the occu pation of small holdings; more tele phones, telegraphs, good roads and swift motors; fruit and garden growths every where; schools in closer proximity; farm villages on every hand; and such 'gen eral prosperity as can hardly bedreamed of by those who are not familiar with the results of even the present infancy of irrigation in America." Dr. Clark Gapen says: "Irrigation doubles and quadruples crops; it reclaims sandy wastes: it removes almost wholly the el ement of chance from farming opera tions." Now that the beatiuful snow is fast dis appearing from onr view, the welcome slush of the mad will greet our eas for a season. THE KANSAS POPULISTS They Hold an Enthusiastic and Har monious convention. UNITED AND FULL OF FIGHT. Taubeneck for the Omaha Platform and Against a Single plank. They Were Interested In Principles and not In Candidates Hutchison, Kan., March 18, On the surface at least peace and harmony pre vailed among a majority of the delegates to the state populist convention before Chairman John W, Breidenthal of the state central committee rapped the gathering to order today. It was given out that' Secretary Breid enthal was extremely desirious that har mony prevail in the convention's pro ceedings and it was generally conceded that the Kansas leader of the populists would have his way. A conflict is possi ble, however, between the two elements having, different views an the money question. One, headed by National Chairman Taubeneck, believes in the Omaha platform and is opposed to the single standard plank, and the other wants a platform making the money question the great issue, hoping to unite all the silver parties and silver elements of the old parties. There is scarcely no talk about presidential candidates. - Before the convention the delegates gathered ip caucuses by congressional districts and agreed upon committeemen. The auditorium where the body met be gan to fill early, and long before 11 o'clock every delegate was in his seat. The intervening time was filled up by the band playing patriotic airs, which stirred the delegates to a high state of enthusiasm. Promptly at 11 o'clock Chairman Briedenthal rapped the con vention to order using as a gavel a bro ken piece of fence rail (a suggestion of Abraham Lincoln) which brought forth renewed cheering. After an address of welcome by Marion Watson, editor of the Hutchinson Bee, and a response by T. J. Hudson, Secre tary Semple read the official call. D. C. Searcher of Johuson was made tempor ary secretary and Harris Kelley of Bar ber county and C. B. Hoffman of Dickin son nominated .for temporary chairman. Here ensued adiscussion over themethod of appointing the committees, and final ly a short recess was taken for the pur pose of selecting the committeemen by districts. , Among thseo on the platform wuen the convention was called to order were H. E. Taubeneck, chairman of the na tional committee: J. H. McDowell of Ten nessee, Rev. J. D. Botkin, T. J. Hudson and other prominent leaders of tjie party. When the convention reassembled in the afternoon, as the committees wer not ready to report, the time was taken up in speechmaking, ex-Congressman Jerry Simpson, ex-Governor Lewelling and other leaders making brief remarks. Ex-Governor Lewelling enthused the au dience to the highest pitch. The report of the committee on reso lutions put an end to further speechmak ing. The convention unanimously and without debate adopted the platform re ported, which is along the lines of the Omaha resolutions. It begins with an appeal to all opponents of the single gold standard to unite in state and nation in an alliance with the people's party and calls attention to the fact that a change from one old political party to another has made matters worse for the country; it favors economical govern ment; demands the overthrow of trusts and the government ownership or con trol of -public utilities; demands that power be taken from the president and secretary of the treasury to issue bouds; maintains that all money should be issued by the government; favors free coinage at 16 to 1, independent of other nations and concludes with a denuncia tion of trial of citizens by injunction or contempt proceedings without trial by jury. After the adoption of the foregoing res olutions the business of the convention was quickly brought to a close. Dele gates to the national convention at St. Louis were selected, apparently without strife. The convention was thoroughly harmonious and unusually enthuiastic. The delegates elected to the national convention at large are ex-Governor Lewelling, J. W. Breidenthal, W. A. Har ris and Frank Doster. Eighty-eight other delegates were chosen by congressional districts. They were practically solid for a union of all advocates of free silver up on a common ticket and are not decided upon any candidate, prefering to wait de velopments. THE KANSAS PLATFORM. It will be seen that while the following platform, which was recently adopted by the populist state convention of Kansas does not abandon any populist princi ple, nevertheless it is a declaration of principles mighty hard to attack. First We are in favor of the strictest honesty and economy in the administra tion of government of state and nation. Second We are in favor of the over throw and destruction of all monopolies and combines organized for the plunder and oppression of the people. Third We demand strict and effective control and supervision by the govern ment ot all corporations performing public or quasi-public functions, and, if necessary to protect the public interests, the ownership by the government of all public utilities. Fourth We demand that the presi dent and secretary of the treasury be de prived of the power to issue or sell bonds without the authority of congress being first given for each separate issue. Fifth We believe that all the money of the country, whether coin or paper, should be issued by the government, and not by corporations or individuals, i Sixth We demand free and unlimited dbinage of both gold and silver at the ratio of 1G to 1, independent of the action cl any other nation. We believe that the United States is capable of maintain ing such a financial system as will pro mote the prosperity of its own people without asking the consent of any other government. Seventh We demand that tne consti tutional rightof trial by jury be extended to every form of action, whether civil or coriminal, and we denounce the trial of our citizens by injunction and contempt proceedings without tne right or a trial trial by jury as contrary to the spirit of our constitution MEXICO'S PROSPERITY, IT His AN EXPORT BOUNTY OF NEARLY A HUNDRED 1 PER CENT. Money Squeezed out of us by the Plutocrats Is Invested in Mexico. The following is taken from an article in the Arena by Judge Walter Clark. L. L. D. of the supreme court of North Car olina, who recently went to Mexico to study the effect of free coinage of silver in that country: s . Americans attracted by the great pros perity prevailing in Mexico, are to be found everywhere and in every line of business, and even our capitalists, after forcing the public to pay two dollars in value for every dollar loaned by the gov ernment, are permanently doubling their capital by turuing this money, squeezed out of the American taxpayers into Mexican dollars, at nearly two for one, and investing at par all through Mexico. Thus American enterprise and American capital are both flowing1 in a full tide into that country to build it up, while here capital is engaged in forcing the government to issue more bonds, tpat the interest received may find a safe and, non-taxable investment, since enter prises are no longer as profitable in the United States as they were under the bi metallic standard. The exports of Mex ico in 1869 were twenty millions of dol lars but in 1892-3 they bad increased to one hundred millions, and for 189G it is estimated they will be over one hundred and fifty millions, while imports from the United States are falling off. Our gold dollar being convertible into two Mexi can dollars is bringing in an enormous amount of capital from the United States for permanent investment in Mexico. It being unprofitable to send Mexican silver to the United States, it is being invested in new enterprises in Mexico thus aiding in the wonderful development and pros perity now Obtaining in that country. Furthermore, many wealthy, Mexicans having fixed incomes, formerly preferred to live abroad in the United States and elsewhere, but the depreciation of their silver incomes has driven them home where silver remains at par, and thus a not inconsiderable addition is made to the wealth of the country. The price of labor in Mexico has al ways been absurdly low, owing to its quantity being in excess of the revenues for employ ment.but prosperity brought about by the causes above enumerated, and the manufactories, railroads and other new enterprises are gradually cre ating a demand for labor, and slowly but surely raising the price of wages. In drawing these lessons from the past experience and the present prosperity fo Mexico, there are those who will say that Mexico is inferior to the United States in education, in civilization and in many other respects. To some ex tent this is true, and so much the worse for the objectors. For if Mexico, in spite of all these disadvantages, is pros- Eerous and going forward by leaps and ounds with her standard of values maintained at the same point, bo much greater is the damnation of the men who, notwithstanding our great and mani fest superiority, have brought the blight and curse of a long enduring depression upon us by robbing the wealth produc ers in the interest of the wealth consum ers through the device of doubling, by surreptitious legislation, the value of the dollars, and if Mexicans with three hundred and fifty years of priestly rule, three hundred of which were also under a foreign yoke, and fifty more passed amid civil dissensions, could assert them selves and throttle the gigantic money power which oppressed them, what can not and what will not, seventy-five mil lions of the foremost people on the earth be able to do when satisfied that they owe it to themselves and their prosper ity to break the yoke which binds them. They are Kenpectful now. An Associated Press dispatch says: that Senater Allen was accorded a re spectful hearing on the Dupont case, and at the close of his speech was congratu lated by senator Turpie, who' stated it was the cleverest presentation of the case yet made against Dupont. It was entirely legal in construction, and was without frills of any sort. Sound Populist Ben tie. We reccommend in place of military drill in public schools such exercises as fire brigades, life-saving corps, manual, labor and mechanic bands, accidental relief companies. In these drills there will be more actual general exercise and the object would be constructive and not destructive; it would be to save life and property rather than the taking of life and the destruction of property, The Peacemaker. THEPOPS ON TOP AGAIN Senate Committe Favorably Eeports a Flank of the Omaha Platform. VOTE DIRECT FOB SENATORS. Day by day Populism Advances in its Onward March. Stand by the Guns and the World la Ours Washington, D. C, March 20.-The senate committe ou privileges and elec tions this morning made a favorable re port on the amendment to the constitu tion providing for the election of United States senators by a direct vote of the people. The report is very voluminous. Among other things it says: 1 "In the judgment of your committee, any movement that looks to the right of the people to be heard directly in the election of senators, cannot but result beneficially to all concerned. The adop tion of this proposed amendment will in the judgment of your committee, bring the senate into more amicable relations with the people. "It will remove prejudices now exist ing which are rapidly becoming deeply and dangerously fastened upon the pub lic mind. It will invoke a spirit 01 mutual forbearance and respect as between the senate and the people, which unfortu nately does not now exist to that degree that is desirable. It will restore confi dence. It will tend to elevate the charac ter, advance the dignity, increase the usefulness, extend the influence and justly mairuify the power of the senate and at the same time promote the welfare of all the people 01 the republic. "The tendency of public opinion is to disparage the senate and depreciate its dignity; its uselulness, its integrity, its power." If there is any cause for this ten dency in the public mind it Bhonld be re moved without delay.' "One weighty and personal objection to the present system, of electing sena tors by the legislatures of the respective states," the report continues, "is that the power and right or tne individual voter are hedged about and circum scribed: his will is manscled; bis volition paralyzed; he cannot vote for his choice. The present system is in practice, pur pose and effect a declaration that for some occult reason, which is in no way made manifest, it is unsafe and prejudi cial to the pulic interest to commit the election of senators to a vote 01 the peo ple." The committee points out tnat tne ma terial interests suffer by reason of pro tracted senatorial contests that are of frequent occurrences. Instances in New York, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Kentucky are cited. . Popular opinion has, the committee savs. taken hold of the subject and the demand for this change is loud and em phatic. The belief in the public mind is rapidly gaining that proper deference is not given by the senate of the United States to the demands and interests of the people, and that is largely due to the fact that senators do not owe their posi tions to the people, who are permanent, but' to the legislatures, which are tran sient. In conclusion the committee says: "The pepople demand a voice in the elec tion of senators and such demand in the judgment of your committee should be respected. oj, whatever may De said to the contrary, whatever may be thought of the sanctity of the constitution as it stands, it must be admitted, by all that the people are becoming restive under its restraints on the right of those entitled under the constitution and laws to exer cise the elective franchise. The movement of the people in the in the interest of the people on this, as on any other question, is stalwart and universal and the'sooner this great fact is recognized by the repre sentatives of the people the better. HOW THEY BEAT THE P0PULIST8. A Scrap of Evidence Shows the way the Oddites Counted Them out. There has been quite an extended dis cussion in congress over the southern election of frauds. The following is a bit of evidence read in the house the other day. It is the testimony of a witness concerning the names of men returned as voting: O. Do you know Prince Hatcher? A. Yes, sir; he is a colored man and lives about one mile from me. Q. Did he vote on the 6th day of No vember last? A. I do not know positively, but heard him say he did not register, and that he did not intend to vote. Q. Do you know Robert Huckabee? A. I did know him. Q. What has become of him? A. He is dead. O. How loniz has he been dead? A. I think he died about the 1st of last September. Q. Do you know Starke Hunter? A. I used to know him. Q. How long ago? A. II has been about twelve years ago, I think. Q. Has he moved ont of the country? A. He has moved to the cemetery. V. How long is it since he took up his abode in that Place; A. I think it has been about twelve Well. now. he must have hmn a faith. ful democrat, because he stuck to the party not only as long as he lived, bat voted for the party twelve years after be died. Great laughter. I take it that he is not a Jefferson ian democrat, but an "organized democrat." . Q. Do yon know Silas Jackson? '. A. I did know him once. Q. Well, what is the matter with him? A. He was moved to the cemetery four years ago. P. Do you know a man living inRiver precinct Dy the name of Kufus Riggs? a. 1 ubou 10 Know a man living there by that name, but he is dead. He was a colored man and died Iaa venr. in Jan. uary, I think, in the early part of the year. (2. DO VOU know Jamnn Willrina In that precinct? A. Yes, sir; there need to live a man thereby that name. i.. " bat became of him? A. The last time I an w him ha va swinging to the limb of a tree. He was lynched. That was some time ill 1893. fThirtv-one innnlint-H nrara hinaaflir anil fairly elected as members of the house in the south at the last electioit and counted out in just this way. Not one of them will be seated by this republican house. The counting out was done by the democrats, the keeping out will be done by the republicans. , HOW TO GET SUBSCRIBERS. AN AGENT WANTED AT EVERY POSTOPFICE IN y THE STATE. , Good Suggestions From a Prac ticed Pop. Editor Independent:! have- read one or two of your papers and think it the best hot Bhot fired in the republican ranks I have seen. An independent friend wishes me to get you a club but the people have no money. I am a,n en thusiastic pop because of many reasons but of one that I well understand and that is railroads and the telegraph. Tbe railroads of the conntry are sapping the life of the nation, but I hardly believe governmentownershipthe thing. Ibeliev that state ownership and government control of inter-state traffic would be tbe proper solution. There is too much of the nation's .wealth in few hands now. The telegrapn, I believe should be owned and operated by the federal govern ment. 1 Pushing the circnlation of independ ent papers will be slow and campaign money almost out of tbe question. The sale of reform books will be very slow I know of no way in which the Independ knt can largely increase its circulation than by appointing an agent at each postofflce to take subscriptions without money in advance and allow tbe sub scriber to pay in part during tbe time his subscription runs. He can pay twenty-five cents or any -amount during tbe year. He will be more anxious to pay after he has read tbe paper than be fore. A small amount at different times is not noticed, when to put up a dollar at once discourages the subscriber who says he does not want the paper, that being tbe easier way out of it. If you have the capital to furnish a few papers in advance to each subscribe er I believe you could swell your circula tion up into the thousands. There are very few who wonld refuse to pay and next fall they could pay in full, It is much better to have money dne than none, if there is a good profit in the paper and there would be with a large list of subscribers. All reformers all over the state I be lieve, should exert their energies to spread the' doctrine than to argue so much in their own ranks. .Those in the ranks do not need the doctrines preached to them over and over again, so subscribers in stead of writing a good article for the paper can best serve it by increasing its circulation. The editor can better than they, look after its pages. I simply suggest this matter, you may have thought of it before and it may be impracticable. With a good agent to watch your interests at the postofflce, I see no reason why you should not have at least seventy-five subscribers at each postofflce and the larger offices in pro portion. I do not think that any man but a blind partisan or a dead beat would refuse to pay for such a good paper before the year is out. The State Journal does this right along. There are 190,000 voters in the state, you should have half of these for subscribers. Yours Fraternally, A Populist. Cathode Rays a Failure. Today I lined up several of your lead ing polititians republicans on one side and democrats on the other, and turned on the cathode rays, sixty volts strong, in hopes that I could secure a photo graph showing the difference in principles of the two parties, but the new process is a failure. ' The first plate showed them one and all standing together, each resembled the other much and were of the same shade, while 'each had his thumb ou the end of his nose and was wriggling his fingers at the other and shouting. "Honest dol lars, sound money," "sound money, hon est dollars." 1 shifted the light, turned on 100 volts more and tried it again, but the picture was the same. It may me that this new process will be found of some use to the doctors, but to us farmers it is a humbug. We can't see any difference between "sound money and honest dollars" and "honest dollars and sound money," nor is there any difference between the two parties. . Ole Leghorn. years. . ii